Certain jobs require individuals to repetitively lift and carry heavy loads. These activities significantly increase muscular-skeletal stress on the body, potentially leading to injuries, with some injuries potentially being permanent injuries.
One known load lifting assist system utilizes an exoskeleton which incorporates fully articulated arms to allow for upper body lift assist. These arms have a similar range of motion to the user's arms and require significant sensing and actuation to ensure the system tracks the user to avoid any discomfort. Additionally, loads can be carried by utilizing a fixed load attachment which supports the load on the user, but prohibits raising or lowering the load from the fixed attachment point.
Another known lifting assist system has a fixed load assist mechanism that is built into the infrastructure of a warehouse or other facility. Typically the lift assist mechanism in this system is permanently attached to a fixed overhead gantry. This arrangement is thus limited to use within a limited region of the warehouse or other facility.